Category: News

It will be a busy weekend in LA, filled with fun and excitement, beginning with Art Walk. We’re proud to support Lewiston High School’s 21st Century Program, presenting work at three locations.

LHS 21st Century Leaders will be showcasing their work from the Summer 2017 internship program. Celebrate “Leading through Art” students as they unveil their community unity mural on the side of the Poise Yoga Studio building at the corner of Lisbon & Cedar Streets as well as student readings titled “Say Her Name!” of original stories and poems about notable women of color. At Lewiston Public Library’s Callahan Hall Art Walkers can view a documentary film entitled “The Unheard Voices of Lewiston” created by students through the “Design your Own” internship.

In Auburn’s Festival Plaza there will be an impressive “trifecta” of events to kick off the Great Falls Balloon Festival weekend. The Red Table Picnic, sponsored by Auburn Recreation, encourages the community to celebrate their proud “Red Eddies” history by holding a red-themed picnic from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Also in Festival Plaza, the Great Falls Balloon Festival will be presenting two bands: 6:00 – 7:15pm Polarized Acoustic Duo and 7:30 – 9:00pm Rubber Band.

At One Great Falls Plaza in Auburn (corner of Court & Turner) enjoy Family Friendly Programming: Nancy Beaule reading from her latest children’s book and the shared art-making event, “Community Masterpiece”. Also a Pop Up Photo Op “Be a Masterpiece”.

In Lewiston, the Downtown Lewiston Arts District is hosting their annual Selfie Contest. Three businesses (Poise Yoga and Foot Sanctuary 351 Lisbon St; The Studio 291 Lisbon St; Wicked Illustrations 140 Canal St) will participate. Visit each location, enjoy the art and lite refreshments, take a selfie inside the business, post it to their Facebook page and you will be entered to win a painting from Wicked Illustrations and Yoga from Poise! At Dufresne Plaza steel drum orchestra Tinpanic will be playing at 7:00pm.

Parking is free after 6pm with ample garage space on both sides of the river.

Photo attached:

Some of the 21st Century “Leading through Art” mural team with L/A Arts staff taking a break from installation work.

In Auburn’s Festival Plaza there will be a live sculpting demonstration by Riverside Woodcarving and performance excerpts by Community Little Theatre from their upcoming show “Shrek”. At One Great Falls Plaza L/A Arts is hosting Community Masterpiece, a free family friendly art-making event. There will also be a Pop Up Photo Op where visitors can Be a Masterpiece and take selfies as the Mona Lisa or other famous works of art.

Said L/A Arts director Louise Rosen “With 27 venues showing the work of 30+ artists, Art Walk LA is a great Friday night downtown.” 2017 is Art Walk LA’s seventh year in Lewiston and second year in Auburn, bringing free, public exhibits from artists in all media. Now taking place on the third Friday of each month from 5-8pm, Art Walk LA has also expanded its run to December to include the holiday season.

Said Rosen “At the L/A Arts Gallery at 221 Lisbon Street we are delighted to be opening two new shows from local artists and artisans: New Paintings from Jeff Jacques and an exhibit of craft work from members of the Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine and other African makers. Jeff is an abstract expressionist painter living and working in Lewiston, and will be showing many of his newest, large format acrylic paintings. The women artisans of the Somali Bantu community are skilled weavers, using palm fronds to make handled baskets called dambils and oval mats called salis. Beautiful examples of both will be on display along with unique garments, instruments and other items from several other African countries including Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan, curated by our collaborator from Sudan, Mahasin Arbab.” Arbab added “There will also be demonstrations of henna hand painting and African-inspired hair design. People will enjoy seeing how this delicate work is done.”

L/A Arts is pleased to announce the Place for Makers, a discussion and networking series to be hosted at various locations in Lewiston and Auburn. The series kicks off with Mike Rancourt of Rancourt & Co. Shoecrafters on March 29th from 6-8pm. Discussion topics include production scaling, workforce development and opportunities in LA. Refreshments will be served.

The Place for Makers series focuses on introducing a new generation of artisan-makers to LA. With support from a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant and in collaboration with Maine College of Art, Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council (LAEGC), and the Pratt Institute, L/A Arts is launching a series of networking and professional development sessions that will gather artisans from around the state at key locations in LA to show off the resources, creative talent, potential live/work space, and business support services available there.

Upcoming events are scheduled for Wednesdays through the end of May. The schedule and registration links will be posted on the L/A Arts website and social media.

L/A Arts, the arts agency for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, Maine has announced a new initiative, “Artist Days in LA.” The first edition will be a tribute to award-winning author, multi-media artist, and storyteller Ashley Bryan whose most recent book, Freedom over Me, about the imagined lives of eleven slaves, is the recipient of the Newbery Medal Honor.

“Ashley Bryan Days in LA” will unfold over a two-month period beginning in April, with in-school puppetry workshops by Figures of Speech Theatre, inspired by Ashley Bryan’s storytelling and puppets. On Saturday, April 29th the Emerge Film Festival (taking place throughout Lewiston/Auburn April 27, 28 & 29) will screen a feature documentary about Ashley Bryan’s life and work by filmmaker Richard Kane, titled “I Know a Man…Ashley Bryan”. On the weekend of May 6th, the Atrium Gallery at USM’s Lewiston Auburn College will open an exhibit of large format images of Ashley Bryan’s puppets, alongside the work made by the students, in an exhibit running through June 2nd.

In a joint announcement, Lewiston and Auburn Mayors Macdonald and LaBonte stated, “The Twin Cities are pleased to proclaim the first ‘Artist Days in LA,’ beginning with a tribute to Ashley Bryan, a man whose many artistic achievements have inspired generations. ‘Artist Days in LA’ will contribute to an enduring impression of our cities’ respect for the important role the arts play in the growth and well-being of the community and its citizens.”

Said L/A Arts Director Louise Rosen, “Ashley Bryan is a national treasure, and his much-beloved books have touched children and families everywhere. As seen in the documentary film, he is a prodigious artist in many media, from stained glass to paint to collage, as well as poetry and song. Ashley’s wonderful found-object puppets sparked the idea for us to work with Figures of Speech Theatre to develop in-school workshops. It made absolute sense to collaborate with the Atrium Gallery at USMLAC, as Dean Joyce Gibson serves on our board. It’s a beautiful gallery and will be a joy to have the resulting student work exhibited alongside large format images of Ashley’s. A special exhibit of his book art was first presented there a few years ago, and he received an honorary degree from USMLAC in 2013. LA has a deep association with artists and artisans, and Artist Days in LA confirms the spirit of that association going forward.”

Maine Magazine is the exclusive magazine sponsor of “Ashley Bryan Days in LA.” Additional sponsorships are available.

About Ashley Bryan
Ashley Bryan first came to Maine after serving in WWII, to attend the Skowhegan School of Art. He settled here permanently in 1988 after retiring as emeritus professor of art at Dartmouth College. Although not published until he was forty years old, he has written and illustrated over 50 books, based on African folktales, or inspired by African-American spirituals and lives. He has won numerous awards and nominations, including a Fulbright Fellowship and the prestigious Laura Ingalls Wilder and John Newbery Medals. He lives in Islesford, on Little Cranberry Island.

About the Emerge Film Festival
The mission of Emerge Film Festival is to build awareness of independent films and to support a diverse cross-section of filmmakers, from established to “emerging” artists, from Maine, the U.S. and the world. We aim to promote the motion picture arts and to provide educational arts and culture opportunities for student filmmakers, the Lewiston/Auburn community and beyond.

Dates: January 27-29

Location: 1 Great Falls Plaza, Auburn, Maine

Join us Friday through Sunday, January 27 – 29 for live music, fine art and crafts for sale (just in time for Valentine’s shopping), and a menu of Asian-French fusion inspired food and drink from Chef Zach Pratt of Boba! Kids and families can enjoy craft activities during the afternoon, while adults get to experience great food and live music in the evening and a special Sunday brunch.

Also featuring live ice sculpting and metalworking demos and fashion shows by local teens, this will be a unique weekend event you won’t want to miss!